Meet Laura Lynch | Podcaster & Financial Planner
We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Lynch and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Laura, how do you think about risk?
In my life experience risk taking was only possible when I got really clear about what was most important to me and abandoned the need to conform with everyone’s expectations. And risk taking was the key to alignment with my personal values. For decades I did what I was expected to do and tried to write the story that I was told to write. You know the story, the one with the degrees, the career ladder, the family, the big home with the big mortgage.
This American Dream story, though, was incongruent with my deepest values, and I had to dig deep to find my own story to write.
I have learned to take risk one small success at a time. First it was buying a piece of land in the place I wanted to live and building a tiny home to allow Eric, my partner, and I to spend time there. Then the pandemic gave us permission to break rules because we learned that following the script didn’t always work.
We are now taking the risk to leave the expected path and create a lifestyle and businesses that are born from our truest selves.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Growing up, I always felt the weight of expectations—the pressure to follow a predetermined path. I was raised to take instructions and follow the rules, and so I wondered why there wasn’t a guidebook for life—a map to show which option to take at every fork. It took a tumultuous decade of playing by society’s rules to discover that I didn’t want what I was expected to want. I wanted to be free to choose something else. I am a lifelong adventurer and trailblazer who was born and raised in the serene woods of Virginia. Curious about the world beyond my familiar surroundings from an early age, my journey began after high school when I joined the Air Force, exploring the world while dedicating six years of my life to service.
In 2006, I ventured into homeownership, purchasing a house in a gated community in Las Vegas. However, the housing market collapse, coupled with the emotional turmoil of my divorce, led to a challenging period in my life. I moved to Florida and spent a decade immersed in the conventional 8-to-5 lifestyle and completing my college degrees.
During this time, my true voice and values began to emerge, and I realized I didn’t want what was expected of me. I craved freedom and the ability to choose an alternative path. In 2015, my partner Eric and I purchased eight acres of raw land in a canyon in New Mexico. With limited time off from work, we started building a tiny home in our Florida backyard over the course of a year, using our creativity and resourcefulness to design our small living space.
For three years, we visited our tiny home, finding peace and tranquility in our minimalist lifestyle. However, it wasn’t until the global pandemic hit that Eric and I decided to fully embrace the tiny living movement. We devised a 30-month plan, including major career pivots, real estate sales, and radical downsizing of our possessions.
By 2024, Eric and I will be living full-time in our tiny house, debt-free and financially secure. We will run two passion-driven businesses while remaining connected to our loved ones and the earth.
I now share my experiences, challenges, and triumphs through my podcast, Less House, More Moola, inspiring others to break free from societal expectations and embrace a life of minimalism, digital nomad lifestyle, and financial freedom.
I am now pivoting my financial planning work to focus on those in the tiny living community. With years of experience in the financial planning industry, I have honed my expertise in helping clients navigate the complex world of personal finance. I am now focusing on alternative living arrangements, particularly building and buying tiny homes. I will be providing specialized financial planning guidance to those seeking financial freedom through downsizing houses and embracing less conventional means.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When folks visit, I will point to my favorite hikes, hot springs, and places to see creative people within the Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado regions. I love Joyful Journey Hot Springs, Ojo Caliente, El Rito, Taos, Saguache, Salida, Crestone, Carson National Forest, Continental Divide Trail
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to recognize Barbara Lynch, my 95 year old grandmother, who exemplified resilience, built homes while building her and my grandfather’s career and showed me the path of nonconformity.
Website: https://www.thetinyhouseadviser.com/
FPA profile: https://www.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/
YouTube Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.
Image Credits
Happy to mention that images are by Kathryn A. Hayden chickwithclicks.com
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
